By George, things are shaping up nicely for Blues now!
TWO goals from Auston Trusty and another from Dion Sanderson gave Blues a hugely welcome home win on a day when they totally overwhelmed Bristol City.
The victory, just their second at St Andrew’s this season, sent them into the week ahead in positive mood after their biggest win under John Eustace.
The head coach is still playing the ‘favourites for relegation’ card but, if this game is anything to go by, Blues have every reason to look up the table as down it – provided they can keep their best players on the pitch.
Here’s what we took away from a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon.
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Trusty the process
After pointing out that Blues conceded headed goals in successive away matches at Bramall Lane and The Riverside, it is only fair to note Blues very much won Saturday’s aerial battle in both 18-yard areas.
They dealt comfortably with the Robins’ four corners, with Harlee Dean and John Ruddy at the forefront, and they totally dominated in the visitors’ penalty box.
Eustace was quick to praise Matt Gardiner for overseeing that work, while also noting that Tahith Chong’s delivery had been instrumental. Bristol City’s defence, or lack of it, also played a big part.
Watching Rob Atkinson and Andy King try to cope with Trusty was a bit ‘men against boys’ and certainly, at 6ft 3ins, the onus was on Atkinson to take on more responsibility.
To be fair, he won twice as many headers as anyone else on the pitch over the course of the game but he melted away at those key moments and it felt as though Blues were going to score from every corner.
A pair of assists will have helped Chong too. The 22-year-old isn’t a natural striker and there were times when he seemed unsure how to hurt the visitors in a way a forward should, but he deserved some tangible reward for his energy and for the fact he was always looking for the ball and willing to commit defenders.
As for Trusty, he’s probably not received enough credit for making the transition from the MLS to the Championship so smoothly. Hopefully the USA don’t have a blind spot to the English second tier because with two MLSbased centre-backs and two others playing for Genk and Troyes, it seems short-sighted not to have watched him play in person.
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It turns out Blues DO have a squad. Not a big
one, but when the injuries relax their pernicious grip on Eustace’s group just a little, there’s enough players to field not only a competitive XI but a bench with one or two options as well.
Dean’s return allowed Jordan Graham to take an afternoon off, Hannibal Mejbri’s potential meant Juninho Bacuna could take a wellearned breather and Chong’s flexibility meant Troy Deeney didn’t have to play three times in a week. The key here is clearly the fact the young players have swum not sunk. He might not be starting matches at the moment but Jordan James is very much a trusted senior player and his 31st appearance for the club added a bit more steel to the middle of the park.
Not that the teen he replaced, George Hall, had let anyone down. The match was decided by set-pieces but if I had to choose a Champagne moment, it would be in the first half when Hall chased down Han-Noah Massengo, dispossessed him, turned, drove upfield and
launched a 40-yard diagonal right onto the toe of Chong. It was such a shame the attacker slipped when he had a defender to run at.
Hall came off with 19 minutes to go and was enveloped by Eustace with an affectionate cuddle. “He deserved a big hug,” the head coach said. “George was brilliant, for an 18-year-old, his energy, his desire. We should be very proud to have these young players coming through.”
The imminent return of George Friend, with Gary Gardner and Przemyslaw Placheta to throw into the mix, will mean any youngsters involved in squads truly merit their places.
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At Long last
The emergence of Manny Longelo has been a real bonus. Blues have been playing with three at the back for well over a year now, yet they have never had a bespoke left wing-back.
Juan Castillo was out of his depth and his failure to make an impact meant Blues spent most of last season trying to apply a sticking plaster by playing people out of position.
Kristian Pedersen never looked comfortable, Onel Hernandez was a misallocation of resource and, to some extent, so was Jeremie Bela – a right-winger when he first arrived.
The position looked as though it would be even more difficult to fill this season as Longelo worked his way back from a pre-season injury.
Josh Williams tried, Graham gave it a go, but as a natural left-footer Longelo has brought a balance to the team and suddenly Blues have a wide player happy to go on the outside. He has revealed himself to be technically adept with a superb engine, who is improving defensively.